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Gender Equality and Inequality
Gender roles are an important factor in most societies and the Empire is not an exception to this rule. As many of the Imperial provinces are transitioning from agrarian economies to a more manufacturing-based one, especially on the eastern shore and in population centers, some of these traditional roles are also being modified over the years. The caste of a person is basically key when trying to understand his or her role and just how equal they can be. There are of course quite a few people that reject those roles, but it should be noted that the norm is called that because it is what is considered normal. The Peasants The peasant caste is where the genders are probably the most equal of them all, but also where the gender roles are the most traditionally defined. Regional modernization and urban life does alter these roles a bit, but things are usually well-defined: the women take care of the children and of the house and the men work to make the money necessary to pay taxes and pay for the few luxuries available to their caste. In more agrarian locales, the women often assist with the work in the fields as well but the bulk of the work is expected to be taken up by the men, but the same thing happens at home, as the men usually assist with child raising when they are around or there is no work to be done, like in winter. The merchants and ninkyo The role of the merchant is ill-defined at best in the Empire, except in the areas under the Coins control, and this lack of definition makes the whole gender roles in the group ill-defined as well. Being glorified peasants in most cases, the gender roles are usually very similar to those of the lower caste, with women taking care of the children and the men acting as breadwinners. The biggest difference is due to the wealth of many members of the caste; these roles become more enshrined and categorized, rather than being fluid like the peasantry where the men sometimes assist with child-rearing and women with the harvest. There are, of course, big differences between small, local merchant families and the larger families which manage small trade empires. In smaller families, everyone is involved in the commerce at some level, including the women working on production of goods, but at higher levels, the women of the powerful merchant lords could be considered more pampered than some of the noblest daughters. The Warrior caste Basically, anyone born within the Warrior caste as a single role: to serve their lord and the Empire. This basic definition makes it fairly clear that woman soldiers are to be expected, even though they are still rare at best. The Tarigani tradition of Onnabugeisha is used as a precedent when a girl wants to join a dojo to learn a martial art, and most families are happy to oblige as the Empire usually pays for this education if need be. Much like with the lower castes, however, women are usually expected to be those who stay at home and take care of it while men are officially the fighting arm of the Empire. The difference between men’s physical abilities and women’s ability also comes into play in this regard, but many military units which accommodate Onnabugeisha often use those differences to their advantage. The vast majority of the women of the warrior caste, however, try to become the epitome of house management and nobility. Many of those take the idea of “serving their lord” as giving him more descendants to serve in his army and properly educating them. A few of them did do some form of martial training in their life and use this as pre-dojo training for their children. The Bureaucracy The Bureaucracy is probably the most egalitarian part of the Empire due to the fact that ANYBODY who manages to pass the Standardized Exam is eligible to be a member of the Bureaucracy. The Bureaucracy is also quite adaptable in regards to how women can use their time, especially with when they have children and most large bureaucratic centers provide services where mothers can leave their children with specialized caregivers while they are at work. While some view this as somehow making the role of women in the bureaucracy “better” than men, it is often noted that, since men do not take as much leave when they have children, they are sometimes seen as better workers or more dedicated to their task and sometimes are given more promotions as a result, which seems to skew the egalitarian balance in the end. Sons and Daughters of Heaven The Sons and Daughters of Heaven have a specific view of gender equality, which basically is “if you can fight, you’re hired”. Unlike regular “humans”, Sons and Daughters of Heaven have almost similar physical strength, coordination and flexibility; they just need to train that specific aspect of their body. While the women can carry children, the fact that most Sons and Daughters of Heaven are of the higher nobility allows them to put those children in care of nurses and skilled educators rather than having to care for them themselves. All the laws which govern Sons and Daughters of Heaven are incredibly all encompassing and there is no limitation in regards to sex in them, so any Daughter of Heaven can invoke the Rights of Dominance if they want to, as an example. See Also *Children Laws Category:Background Category:Culture